What do Chanel, Paris, Penelope Cruz and Kaia Gerber all have in common?

Chanel brought its itinerant off-season fashion show the “arts and crafts”, with its swathe of VIPs including Penelope Cruz and Marion Cotillard, back to home ground in Paris to mark its first collection since Karl Lagerfeld died earlier this year.

New designer Virginie Viard teamed up with film director Sofia Coppola this season to imagine a cinematic opus that saw the house’s 1920s Rue Cambon atelier – replete with crystal chandeliers and mirrored cubist staircase – recreated under the lofty roof of the Grand Palais exhibition space.

Unlike the seasonal collections that trickle down to set high street trends, the “arts and crafts” pre-collection aims at showing off and celebrating the work of the artisans that are the beating heart of Chanel, and the Paris fashion industry as a whole. Celebrating their technical know-how is one way that storied Paris heritage houses have tried to distinguish themselves in the face of increased competition from other fashion capitals, such as New York and Milan.

The first looks, in black with oversized statement shoulders, were simple enough to let the embellishment do the talking: large, silvery, art-deco waistbands with beading, bejewelled cuff bands or large, geometric buttons with silver rims. A staple black jumper and knee length skirt were given life with rings of pearls that cascaded down to a black and gold chain belt that resembled the strap of the house’s iconic handbag. Camellias adorned ethereal feathers as prints, while ears of wheat were constructed in glimmering gold sequins.

They set the agenda of the show. The fashion panache here was hidden in the details that were delivered with couture-like finesse.

“The show was incredible,” said Cruz, who reminisced nostalgically about walking around Central Park at midnight with Lagerfeld last December after last year’s Egyptian-themed Chanel show in New York.